To make savings we need to work together. There are no additional resources available, savings need to be made now so that we can meet increasing demand and ensure that local services continue to meet your needs.

We are looking at how to be more innovative, more productive and help you use your NHS resources better whilst making sure services are still of the highest quality.

How can you get involved?

To make sure you get the most out of every NHS pound spent in Bradford, we're asking you to take more control of your health and change the way you use some of your NHS services. Some things that we need you to do are:

take the medicines you are given - the most expensive medicines are the ones not taken. 50% of medicines are not taken as directed within 10 days of being prescribed.

not asking for medicines you don't need - check what you've got at home first. Your NHS can't reuse medicines once they have been given out.

use your NHS to the best - sometimes your GP isn't the best person to see, you can see your pharmacist, quickly without an appointment.

buy some medicines from shops instead - it's cheaper to buy medicines for short term, minor illnesses, from your supermarket or pharmacy.

Join in with the campaign on social media. Follow us on Facebook, @NHSinBradford or on Twitter, @NHSBDCCG and use #ItsOurNHS to show your support for making a change.

What are we doing?

We will be looking at your whole patient journey and seeing how we can transform your services to give you a better experience. We are also looking at how we can innovate, be more productive, prevent your NHS resources being used inappropriately and ensure your services are high quality.

Would you like to make your record shareable to services that might care for you in the future or the services that are currently taking care of you?

Would you like your doctor to be able to see information recorded by those other services?

You now have the choice to ask your practice to make it possible to share your records should the need arise. Setting this up does not mean that anyone can look at your records. They still have to ask for your permission. If you would like to arrange this option please ask at reception. The choice you record can be changed at any time.

If you have difficulty remembering your appointment. Sign up for our SMS text reminder service. Ask at reception for details.

The NHS Friends and Family Test

Have your say to improve your care

We would like your feedback on the care or treatment we give you

any time you visit your GP or have contact with the practice. It doesn’t

take long.

Put us to the test and tell us what is working and what we can improve. You can say what

you think without giving your name and we will use the information to plan improvements to

Appointments

To make an appointment, obtain a test result or make a general enquiry please contact the surgery on our main number :- 01274 651416.

Urgent cases will be seen the same day but the appointment may not be with the doctor of your choice.

Non urgent appointments are available every week with a GP or Nurse Practitioner at the Walk in Clinc (Monday or Thursday afternoon-please see Walk in Clinic) or if you wish to see a particular doctor or can't make the Walk in Clinic you also have the option to book in advance Monday to Friday, though you may have to wait longer for an appointment. Appointments can be booked by telephone or on line (see on line services).

Extended Access Appointments

Please see the service details on the Extended Access Service information tab

Please note - If you attend late for an appointment you may be asked to re-book.

Telephone Contact

Over 30% of our daily telephone calls are received between 8am—9am. This can mean that you may have a long wait for your call to be answered. If your call is non urgent, please try and ring the Practice at a quieter time. This is usually after 10am.

Chaperone

We have a legal obligation to offer our patients a same sex chaperone for intimate examinations. If you do not wish to be accompanied by a chaperone please let the doctor or the nurse know so this can be recorded in your medical record. Chaperones are usually a nurse or one of our specially trained members of staff.

Family Appointments

Please let us know if more than one person in the family needs to be seen. A separate appointment is needed for each person. If you have more than one problem to discuss, the doctor may ask you to make an additional appointment.

Who to see

The above document will give you an introduction to our clinical team, including the days they are in practice and what they specialise in.

Highfield Medical Practice Walk in Clinic

Mondays & Thursdays 1.30pm-2.30pm

Following requests from patients and discussions with the Patient Group, it was decided to introduce a Walk in Clinic. Patients had expressed concerns about access to appointments and wanted the option of an open clinic where you could just turn up and wait to be seen. More often than not we had to ask patients to ring back but with no guarantee that there would be any available appointments to book.

The Walk in Clinic provides an alternative that guarantees you will be seen that day but you may have to wait a little longer as there are no set appointment times. Since the start of the clinic waiting times have averaged at 55 minutes. We cannot control this as we do not limit the number of patients attending.

For those patients that prefer a fixed appointment time we still offer pre-bookable appointments but you may have to book these further in advance. You are also able to book these on line which is easier than having to ring and can be done at any time of the day.

Since the introduction of the Walk in Clinic access to seeing a clinician has been improved. However a small minority of patients have put this service at risk by their behaviour in the waiting area. A number of members of the reception team have received some very unpleasant abuse and it has been reported by other patients that they have been abused verbally and physically by patients trying to push to the front of the queue. This has been particularly unpleasant for some of our more elderly patients and some of our less able bodied patients.

The Partners would like to remind you that we operate a zero tolerance policy and any patients that are abusive to our staff or other patients will be removed from the practice list.

As you will have noted from TV and the press demand for appointments is very high and far outweighs the capacity of the NHS. We are doing our best within the budgets that we are given. Please help us to help you by being patient. Delays can suddenly be caused by seriously ill patients needing immediate attention from the doctor. Seriously ill patients will have to be prioritised at all times.

Thank you for patience and understanding.

The Doctors

Home Visits

If possible please try to telephone reception before 10:30am if you require a home visit.

A doctor or nurse may phone you back as it may be that your problem can be dealt with by telephone advice, or that it would be more appropriate to send a nurse, or indeed arrange a hospital attendance.

House visits are only available for patients who are housebound because of illness or disability.

Please remember that several patients can be seen in the practice in the time that it takes to make one home visit. There are also better facilities for examining and treating patients at the Health Centre.

Specialist and Hospital Care

If you need to go to hospital to see a specialist, you have the right to choose which hospital you're referred to by your GP. This legal right, which was introduced in April 2009, lets you choose from any hospital offering a suitable treatment that meets NHS standards and costs.

You can choose a hospital according to what matters most to you, whether it's location, waiting times, reputation, clinical performance, visiting policies, parking facilities or patients’ comments.

Disabled Access

Our surgery is accessible to patients using a wheelchair. We also have parking spaces which are reserved for patients displaying a disabled sticker.

A hearing loop is available for patients with a hearing impediment. If you are in need of any physical assistance (e.g wheelchair), please inform the staff when you book your appointment so that the necessary arrangements can be made for you in advance.

We can arrange interpretation and translation services on the telephone for patients who do not speak English, but you are welcome to bring your own interpreter also.

EXTENDED ACCESS SERVICE - INFORMATION FOR PATIENTS

From 1st October 2018, the practice is part of the Extended Access service which provides GP, Physiotherapy, Nurse and Healthcare Assistant appointments from the following locations (hubs) across Bradford:

As a registered patient with this practice, you have access to the following:

Weekday evening appointments

Evening appointments from 6:30pm to 9:30pm at any of the three hubs to see one of the following, subject to availability:

GP

Physiotherapist

Nurse for Asthma reviews and Smears

Healthcare Assistant for blood tests and blood pressure checks

Voluntary Sector Services including young people's counselling, carer support services, welfare and benefits advice, mental health support and women's specific support

Weekend appointments

Weekend and bank holiday appointments are available with a GP from 10am to 1pm from the Central hub. Young People's Counselling services are also available from 10am to 1pm on Saturdays from the Central hub.

More information about appointments with the Extended Access service

The service is run by Bradford Care Alliance, which represents all GP practices in the Bradford area. Appointments are with GPs and other healthcare staff who work in the area, so your appointment may not be with a clinician from this practice.

When booking an appointment in the Extended Access service our receptionists will ask for your consent to share your medical record. Click here to learn more about how and why we process your information.